Simultaneous acknowledgments for multicast packets

Abstract

In one embodiment, a multicast communication is received at a particular node of a plurality of nodes receiving the multicast communication in a network. The particular node selects a subset of subcarriers using a probabilistic data structure, such that each of the plurality of nodes selects a respective subset of subcarriers using the probabilistic data structure. The particular node transmits an acknowledgement of receipt of the multicast communication on the subset of subcarriers selected by the particular node. The transmission occurs simultaneously with transmissions of acknowledgements from the other of the plurality of nodes.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 receiving, at the particular node from a transmitting device, a multicast communication at a particular node of a plurality of nodes receiving the multicast communication in a network, wherein the particular node is a receiving node; 
 selecting, by the particular node, a subset of subcarriers using a Bloom filter, wherein each of the plurality of nodes selects a respective subset of subcarriers using the Bloom filter; and 
 after selecting the subset of subcarriers, transmitting, from the particular node, an acknowledgement of receipt of the multicast communication on each of the subset of subcarriers selected by the particular node, wherein the transmission occurs simultaneously with transmissions of acknowledgements from the other of the plurality of nodes, and the transmitting device determines from which nodes of the plurality nodes acknowledgements have been received at the transmitting device by determining whether there is an active carrier on a given subcarrier. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the selecting of the subset of subcarriers is based on a node identifier that is unique to the particular node. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the selecting of the subset of subcarriers is further based on a time-varying component. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the selecting of the subset of subcarriers is further based on information contained within the multicast communication. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the acknowledgement transmitted from the particular node collides with the transmissions of acknowledgements from the other of the plurality of nodes. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the acknowledgement transmitted from the particular node is a carrier signal on each of the subset of subcarriers. 
     
     
       7. An apparatus, comprising:
 one or more network interfaces that communicate with a network; 
 a processor coupled to the one or more network interfaces and configured to execute a process; and 
 a memory configured to store program instructions which contain the process executable by the processor, the process comprising:
 receiving, from a transmitting device, a multicast communication at a plurality of nodes in the network, wherein the apparatus is a receiving node; 
 selecting a subset of subcarriers using a Bloom filter, wherein each of the plurality of nodes selects a respective subset of subcarriers using the Bloom filter; and 
 after selecting the subset of subcarriers, simultaneously transmitting an acknowledgement of receipt of the multicast communication on each of the subset of subcarriers selected by the particular node, wherein the transmitting device determines from which nodes of the plurality nodes acknowledgements have been received at the transmitting device by determining whether there is an active carrier on a given subcarrier. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the selecting of the subset of subcarriers using the Bloom Filter is based on a node identifier that is unique to each of the plurality of nodes. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the selecting of the subset of subcarriers using the Bloom filter is further based on a time-varying component. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the selecting of the subset of subcarriers using the Bloom filter is further based on information contained within the multicast communication. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the acknowledgement simultaneously transmitted from each of the plurality of nodes collide within one or more subcarriers. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the acknowledgement simultaneously transmitted from each of the plurality of nodes is a carrier signal on each of the subset of subcarriers. 
     
     
       13. A tangible non-transitory computer readable medium storing program instructions that cause a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:
 receiving, at a particular node from a transmitting device, a multicast communication at a particular node of a plurality of nodes receiving the multicast communication in a network, wherein the particular node is a receiving node; 
 selecting, by the particular node, a subset of subcarriers using a Bloom filter, wherein each of the plurality of nodes selects a respective subset of subcarriers using the Bloom filter; and 
 after selecting the subset of subcarriers, transmitting, from the particular node, an acknowledgement of receipt of the multicast communication on each of the subset of subcarriers selected by the particular node, wherein the transmission occurs simultaneously with transmissions of acknowledgements from the other of the plurality of nodes, and the transmitting device determines from which nodes of the plurality nodes acknowledgements have been received at the transmitting device by determining whether there is an active carrier on a given subcarrier. 
 
     
     
       14. The tangible non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 13 , wherein the selecting of the subset of subcarriers using the Bloom Filter is based on a node identifier that is unique to each of the plurality of nodes. 
     
     
       15. The tangible non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 13 , wherein the selecting of the subset of subcarriers using the Bloom filter is further based on a time-varying component. 
     
     
       16. The tangible non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 14 , wherein the selecting of the subset of subcarriers using the Bloom filter is further based on information contained within the multicast communication.